Kafr Qallil Complete

Description

Kafr Qallil stands on the southeastern flank of Mount Gerizim, with Mount Ebal rising to the north. Between these two heights lies the valley that contains the modern city of Nablus—known in antiquity as Neapolis—and Tell Balaṭah, identified with ancient Shechem. For many centuries in antiquity, Mount Gerizim served as the primary cultic center of the Samaritans, retaining reduced significance in the medieval period and later. The temple on the mountain was demolished in the second century BCE by the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus I. After the Roman annexation and the creation of the province of Judea, Samaritan communities obtained greater freedoms, though they were not permitted to rebuild the temple. Up to the fifth century CE, the Samaritans in the Mount Gerizim region experienced relative prosperity compared with Jews. The emperor Zeno subsequently erected a church within the ruined sacred precinct, an action that provoked a series of Samaritan revolts. These were suppressed, and many Samaritans were compelled to convert or were expelled. Systematic archaeological excavations began in 1982. For an overview of the discoveries at Mount Gerizim, see Pummer 2016, chapter V, “Archaeological Excavations,” section 1, “Mount Gerizim.” Image source: https://www.biblewalks.com/MountGerizim Further reading: Pummer, R. 2016. The Samaritans: A Profile, Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.